Lin Jie, twelve years old this year, possessed a Martial Soul—lightning. A bolt of mysterious, elemental lightning.
He was the eldest son of an ordinary family in the Heaven Dou Empire. His household consisted of his mother and a younger sister; as for his father, he had passed away when Lin Jie was still a child, due to some unknown incident.
His younger sister, Lin Ran, was ten years old this year. Her Martial Soul was a lotus—a rare and unusual soul in the Douluo Continent. Their mother was an ordinary person, and their father had been as well. Lin Jie had no idea where the lotus Martial Soul came from; perhaps it was a trait passed down from a more distant ancestor.
But Lin Jie had another, hidden identity: he was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, Lin Jie had been an avid fan of novels—especially web novels—and anime. In plain terms, he was a classic shut-in otaku.
As for how he ended up in the world of Douluo Continent... that was a long and tearful story.
On a dark, windy night, overwhelmed by restlessness and insomnia, Lin Jie climbed up to the rooftop for a smoke. Just as he was enjoying the sensation, the heavens must have gotten jealous—or maybe annoyed—and struck him down with a thunderbolt. A literal five-fold lightning strike.
And just like that, his previous life came to an abrupt end.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in this new world.
Over the years, he had gradually come to accept the reality of transmigration. After all, he had been an orphan in his previous life—no attachments, no burdens. Life was life, no matter where it was lived.
Still, there was one thing that gnawed at him: in all those transmigration stories he had read, the protagonist either had a golden finger like a system, an old master living in their head, or at the very least a heaven-defying talent. And him? He only had innate soul power of level 4—not even innate full soul power!
With only level 4 innate soul power, while still cultivable, he stood virtually no chance of ever reaching the level of a Titled Douluo in accordance with the world's rules—much less becoming a god.
Hadn't the first female Supreme Pontiff and the first twin Martial Soul user in Douluo history—both of whom attained godhood—been killed off by the overpowered protagonist Tang San?
When Lin Jie awakened his Martial Soul at the age of six and discovered he only had level 4 innate soul power, he went straight to Nuoding Academy to seek out Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang. He buttered him up with flattering words, hoping to become his disciple. At first, Yu Xiaogang showed some interest—but upon learning Lin Jie's innate soul power level, he immediately lost all enthusiasm.
He gave some excuse about already having a disciple.
At that moment, Lin Jie instantly understood—he was being rejected for having poor talent.
At first, he got along well with Tang San, but after being turned away by Grandmaster, Tang San started to distance himself. Though still polite on the surface, Lin Jie could clearly feel the growing coldness between them.
Ironically, Lin Jie got along far better with Xiao Wu. Well, credit to nine years of compulsory education—it wasn't that hard to charm a cute bunny girl, even if she was a 100,000-year-old soul beast. But now that she had transformed into a human, the rules of soul beasts no longer applied.
After being rejected by Grandmaster and seeing Tang San grow cold, Lin Jie actually considered snatching Xiao Wu away right then and there.
But after thinking it through—Xiao Wu was already considered Tang San's "sister." If he took her away, Tang San definitely wouldn't let it slide. Not to mention, Lin Jie wasn't sure he could even beat Tang San right now. Tang San also had a powerful father—Tang Hao, a Titled Douluo.
So, lacking the strength to fight, Lin Jie turned to wit instead. Over time, he showered Xiao Wu with kindness and teasing—flirting with her in every possible way.
But one day, Lin Jie overheard Tang San telling Xiao Wu not to get too close to him.
How did he hear it? Of course, through a soul skill he developed using the properties of lightning—Mind Net. While it wasn't as OP as Enel's mantra from One Piece, it was still good enough to eavesdrop on conversations within a hundred meters.
Lin Jie had already realized something: people from different worlds simply couldn't mix. Just like those outside your social circle—they'll never really be a part of it.
He had wanted to say to Grandmaster: "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Don't look down on a poor young man!"But on second thought... that line sounded way too edgy, so he let it go.
Lin Jie was still salty about Yu Xiaogang's rejection. But credit where it's due—the man was indeed a master of soul theory. Sure, some of it might be plagiarized, but his knowledge was real.
"Forget it. Relying on others is worse than relying on myself. I've read thousands of novels—no, thousands of chapters! I'm not some good-for-nothing."
"You won't take me as a disciple? Fine! There's always a better place for me."
And with that, Lin Jie left Nuoding Academy. Of course, before leaving, he had to go tease Xiao Wu one last time.
Though his relationship with Grandmaster was strained and Tang San was now avoiding him, Lin Jie wasn't too concerned. As for Xiao Wu—who knew how she'd treat him in the future? Whatever the case, he didn't care anymore. Before leaving, he called her out for a chat.
With Tang San not around, Lin Jie told Xiao Wu, "I'm leaving. From now on, go play with Tang San and the others."
He was just about to turn around coolly—no words, no looking back, not even a wisp of cloud trailing behind—when a wicked idea suddenly popped into his head.
He said to Xiao Wu, "I'm leaving today. I might never come back. Close your eyes—I've got something for you."
Xiao Wu didn't suspect anything and obediently closed her eyes.
And Lin Jie, in that moment—smooch!—kissed her on the lips. Then turned and ran like hell.
"Heh, she must be super mad right now," Lin Jie thought. "But oh well—Xiao Wu's first kiss? Taken."
Fast forward six years—Lin Jie was now twelve years old. Though his innate soul power had been only level 4, he had already cultivated to Soul Grandmaster, rank 24.
If Yu Xiaogang had seen this, he wouldn't have believed it. How could someone with such low talent advance so quickly?
It all came down to Lin Jie's Martial Soul.
His Martial Soul wasn't just any lightning—it was elemental lightning, something never before seen on the Douluo Continent.
Other known lightning-related Martial Souls merely carried lightning attributes—like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Thunder Academy's Thunder Spider, or even Clear Sky Hammer, which could manifest lightning properties.
But all of those were externally focused—projecting lightning outward. Lin Jie's Martial Soul could be used internally.
When he channeled lightning into his body, it refined and tempered his physique, enhancing his constitution and dramatically accelerating his cultivation.
Upon realizing this, Lin Jie knew: innate soul power was no longer the limit of his future. His destiny was now in his own hands.
As he cultivated, Lin Jie began to feel that soul power resembled something he had known from his past life—Qi. That's right—true Qi. And if Qi could be used to perform martial techniques, then why not soul power?
Thus began his journey of creating his own soul skills.
His Martial Soul of lightning reminded him of many powers he had once admired. Take the Mind Net, for example—originally inspired by electromagnetic waves. It didn't read minds, but it did enhance his perception significantly, letting him react a split-second faster.
And now? His Mind Net had evolved to a whole new level.
Despite having only two soul rings, Lin Jie's arsenal of soul skills was far more extensive: Mind Net, Chidori, and others—all formidable in their own right.
Looking back at the original series, when Tang San fought Dai Mubai—Dai only had three soul skills, even if he used them masterfully. Meanwhile, Tang San had a whole toolkit of moves—Mysterious Jade Hand, Controlling Crane Catching Dragon, and more—each one trained to perfection. How could Dai Mubai possibly win?
"The me today," Lin Jie muttered, "is no longer the me of yesterday. Yu Xiaogang, you looked down on me once—let's see who gets the last laugh."
He placed his left hand on his right wrist. A crackling flash of blue-white light surged forth.
In a low voice, Lin Jie called out,"Self-created Soul Skill—Chidori."